


Lord of All

by Eurasian_Lynx



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Religious Imagery & Symbolism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 20:45:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18836458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eurasian_Lynx/pseuds/Eurasian_Lynx
Summary: "I will not create life, Tom.""You won't, but I will."





	Lord of All

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The_Carnivorous_Muffin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Carnivorous_Muffin/gifts).
  * Inspired by [October](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15675435) by [The_Carnivorous_Muffin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Carnivorous_Muffin/pseuds/The_Carnivorous_Muffin). 



> This takes place in a long distant future after the end of the current events of October. Long after Tom has given up his pretense of living among humans as Azrael did, and now wanders where he wishes as a true immortal.

Tom had long since grown tired of sitting at the end of the world.

"What are you doing here, Tom?"

So he'd taken to sitting at the beginning.

Or rather, he supposed it was before the beginning. Before time itself even began. He could see it not far in front of him, a golden explosion as the universe began in a sudden flash of light. But here, there was nothing.

It was almost comforting, in a way, to be able to turn around, and for once, for once, not see the endless web of gold that expanded over the whole of reality.

It was nice to get away for a while, almost like a vacation. A vacation from the universe itself.

Tom snorted derisively at his own thoughts as Azrael sat down next to him, the other propping his arms on his knees in such a human-like, ordinary fashion. Tom could feel those green eyes watching him inquisitively, but Azrael had already asked his question, and there was no need for Tom to answer until he decided he was ready, if he ever decided he was ready at all.

So they sat, beyond time as the hours passed, (Except they didn't, because time itself did not exist here. Perhaps their minds, having been born into time, played tricks on them to convince them that time passed as they sat there, a way to force what they had once been to co-exist with their now. Tom pondered it for a while as he sat in the fathomless void, Death himself at his side, watching time dance in a dazzling display before him, yet sitting beyond all of the excitement as a mere observer.) alone in a never ending darkness that really wasn't darkness at all, because darkness was the absence of light, and light did not exist here. Azrael watched Tom, and Tom watched the display before him, each to his own thoughts and the events before him only a spectator.

In time, or in no time at all, or in all the time in the world, Tom posed a question to his ageless companion rather than answer the one he had been asked.

"Do you still believe in God, Azrael?"

Death had no trouble responding to the question, and one could perhaps say the answer came to him far swifter than the question itself had come to Tom, but of course, it was all the same.

"I do."

Tom nodded with a thoughtful expression, sucking on his own tongue as he mulled the answer over in his head. He gestured to the light show before them, drawing Azrael's attention to the start of the universe.

"Do you think he did all of this?"

Again, Azrael had little trouble answering, nodding his head.

"Well I did not, so yes, I do."

Tom could not help a chuckle at that.

"No, you didn't, it's much too flashy to have been done by you."

Azrael offered a returning quirk of the lips, not quite a grin, but there was humor in his eyes.

"Are you implying I couldn't be flashy if I wanted to?"

"Not at all, simply that you wouldn't if no one forced your hand."

And he knew trying to force Azrael's hand was like trying to walk a cat on a leash, it could be done, but you had better not expect the one you were forcing to be very cooperative.

Azrael barked out a real laugh when Tom said as much.

"Ah, I can't deny the truth, you've figured me out."

"That you're five cats stacked on top of each other in a trench coat? Azrael, I could have told you that ages ago."

"I'm only five cats when someone's trying to take me on a walk. Otherwise, I tend to average out to four cats."

What it even meant, they had no idea, but it made them laugh, so that was that.

They sat there in companionable silence for what could be considered a great long while, sparks of humor still dancing between them and no words needed as they merely existed together, simply not being alone more than enough to keep them content.

Tom never did answer the question he had been asked, and Azrael left to do something else in another place and another time, or perhaps a lack thereof for both; Tom didn't bother to look. His mind was still mulling over the lights before him.

He wondered if he would see God, if he got up and looked closer. He had always wondered what he looked like, and perhaps he could even persuade him to stay and talk, it would be a nice change from Azrael and his own thoughts.

As Tom stepped just before the beginning of the universe, he looked around, seeing nothing but the incomprehensible expanse that was the lack of time and space. He called out,

"God?"

No reply came other than his own thoughts.

Curious, but not particularly distressed, (He had long ago accepted the surreal to be his permanent, and had little need for a higher power as Azrael did. They were, the universe was, and really, that was that. Questions were for those who cared to have them answered.) he then stuck his hand into the beginning of the universe, feeling but not disturbing the hot, dense matter of the small beginning. Why, it was so tiny right now, he could cup it in his hands. He poked and prodded at the primordial black holes, feeling the little things squirm under his investigations. He had always liked the singularities, they were almost alive in their refusal to obey the common laws of the universe.

But even as he investigated the beginning of the universe, still no God came and commanded the universe into existence. Tom could only stare at the small pocket of matter in his hands, so small, so unfathomably young as he stood so incomprehensibly close to the exact moment of it's birth.

He tilted his head, distantly wondering where it all came from. He could live the rest of his endless life not knowing and never be discontent with his lack of knowledge, but he was a curious man by default, and could not help his ponderings.

Then, quite suddenly, he began to laugh. He let go of the universe, clutching at his belly as he laughed so hard it hurt and tears streamed down his face. He found himself weak at the knees, and was for once thankful that when you existed beyond time and space, gravity could not touch you, and so there was no need to worry about falling should you be unable to stand.

Oh, how blatantly the answer had been staring him in the face!

He could not wait to tell Azrael, but he supposed he might as well get the job done while understanding and clarity still sang in great humor in his veins.

He stepped back from the young universe he had been toying with, instead cupping his hands directly before it all began. If he moved any closer, his fingers would delve into the hot density that was the newborn universe, but not here.

Right before it all began.

Right when it all began.

He looked around, just to be sure.

Still, no God came.

He smirked in boundless humor as the ambitions of his youth could not help but to dance in his head.

"Well, I always did fancy myself a Lord. I suppose I was right after all."

And the LORD said,

"Let there be light."

And there was light.

And that was that.

**Author's Note:**

> Was re-reading the section in October where Azrael and Tom are creating Ubik, discussing whether or not they should populate it with a people. All of a sudden, I was struck with a mental image of the conversation in the summary, and things just developed from there.
> 
> Also inspired by this lovely cover of [Vuelie](https://soundcloud.com/thevocalcompany/vuelie-from-frozen) that struck me with an image of singing something into creation.


End file.
